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Developer: PS3 Not Ready for 3D

The current generation of consoles not meant for 3D gaming, says Antoniades.

Sony's software update that will transform the PS3 into a 3D gaming console arrives in June, but according to the co-founder of Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory, it's nothing to get excited about. In a recent interview, Tameem Antoniades described the 3D that's coming to the PS3 as "rudimentary."

In a wide-ranging interview with CVG, Antoniades said Ninja Theory barely broke even on its highly anticipated and somewhat disappointing 1.5-million-selling PS3 exclusive, Heavenly Sword, and expressed hope the next generation of consoles won't come to market for years because of the major investment developers have already made in the current gen platforms.

But it was Antoniades comments about Sony's effort to bring 3D to the PS3 that was the most controversial. Sony is putting a major push behind 3D console gaming, and Antoniades evidently thinks it's a fruitless exercise. The current consoles simply don't have the power to effectively deliver 3D, he said.

"The problem is that to do 3D properly you need to render 60 frames per second, per eye," Antoniades told CVG. "And at least a 720p resolution [per eye]. So in essence that's 1080p rendering at 120 frames per second, and the current generation can only process very rudimentary graphics at that spec."

"I think the technology's limited now, so you won't be able to play stuff that looks like Avatar -- the movie -- in 3D," he continued. "Every generation has to be at least five-to-ten times more powerful than the last, so I think we'll get there in the next generation. I think that will be totally revolutionary for games."

Sharkey says: Antoniades is right. The current generation of consoles simply weren't designed for 3D gaming. And the investment to play in 3D, including the cost of a 3D TV and 3D glasses, will be prohibitive for some time, particularly in this economy.